Baking pizza at home for The New York Times

Tomatoes at Tarry Market

Two weeks ago, I tested a recipe for The New York Times. Believe it or not, it was for homemade pizza using my electric oven, a GE Profile. I’ve never made pizza at home before, so this was a fun experience.

Lessons Learned

• Make sure you allow at least 24 hours and up to 3 days to proof the pizza dough. My refrigerator was too cold for it to proof at 24 hours, resulting in a very chewy crust.
• You don’t have to follow the recipe given exactly – you know how your oven works, so use your best judgement
• Have fun with toppings. I cooked sausage, onions, and garlic in a sauté pan. I then placed it on top of the pizza and baked the pizza until done.
• Don’t use cheap cheese – get your cheese from a gourmet market. It’s worth the extra money.
• It’s okay to splurge on tomato sauce. Like good cheese, the sauce will make a difference.

Where I purchased my toppings
I bought my toppings at Tarry Market in Port Chester, NY. I bought jarred Mario Batali pizza sauce, fresh mozzarella, parsley and cheese sausage, and vine red tomatoes.

Toppings: Fresh mozzarella, sausage, and tomato

Toppings: Mozzarella, Sausage and Caramelized Onions

The Recipe
To view the recipe, visit nytimes.com. Try to bake your own pizza and let me know how your pie(s) came out.